Exclusive Interview: Reham Khan on ex-husband Imran Khan's secret drug use and why she chose to release her explosive autobiography before the elections in Pakistan

A week ahead of her arrival in India to sign a publishing deal for her autobiography that nobody seems to be willing to bring into the market, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan’s ex-wife Reham Khan paints him as a self-absorbed man who, during an interview she did with him before their marriage, kept pestering her for her phone number when she wanted him to talk about the 2012 gang rape of a 23-year-old physiotherapist in Delhi that triggered global outrage.

Talking exclusively to
Mumbai Mirror over the phone from her London home on Saturday, Reham said Imran – between seeking to know her age, and where she stayed in London – rather casually pinned the blame for the horrific rape on Bollywood’s depiction of women as scantily-dressed dolls.

While Reham’s autobiography titled
Reham Khan has created a storm in Pakistan with its rather scandalous details of Imran’s personal life — ‘seeking sexual favours from women in his party’, his ‘drug habit’, and the talk of ‘illegitimate children’ — the author said the book was actually about the mistakes she made in her life, marriage to the playboy cricketer being just one of them. “[In the book] I tell you about a girl from a privileged family who went to a good school and who could speak English. Despite that, she did not know what she was looking for in England at 19 and in Pakistan at 42.”

Drawing a parallel between falling in love and following a political leader, Reham said people in India and Pakistan do not demand enough from the people they vote for. “We just think he [Imran] is a cricketer, a politician and an honest man. How do you know he is an honest man? In cricket, there is a record of his performance. There is no record of his performance in politics,” she said.

On the possibility of Imran being elected Pakistan’s prime minister in this month’s elections, Reham said it was a scary thought. Referring to his alleged use of drugs, she said: “He does not remember in the morning what he said the previous night. So, it is possible that he will press the nuclear button in the night, and say in the morning that he did not order the nuke strike.”

Excerpts from the interview:

Your book has been talked about in India since the launch of Spy Chronicles, an India-Pakistan collaboration.

Good to know that. Hussain Haqqani’s
Reimagining Pakistan also. There are so many good books but people are not reading in India and Pakistan, even here in Britain. The youngsters have no time. For me it is important that the book is for the general public.
Spy Chronicles is seen as a current affair book but mine is different. The perception is that it is about Imran Khan. But actually it’s about my mistakes. I tell you about a girl from a privileged family, who went to a good school, who can speak English and someone who reads books.

Despite that I did not know what I was looking for. My reality in England as an immigrant was that I am someone from South Asia, a single parent, a working mom and did not fit with the conservative reality. Similarly, when I went to Pakistan. A lot of people asked me, "
Kyon ki shaadi Imran se? Pehle wale se kyon shaadi ki? I talk about how Bollywood has influenced us. You have to be the perfect wife. There were these images of Sati Savitri and you have to please the husband. The outfit he has to wear. That has been taught to us. It does not matter how many degrees you have, even if you are a foreign minister. I have heard people like Sherry Rehman worry about their home. Can you imagine?

When I come to Pakistan, I vote for a party which is completely opposite to who I am. I make a confession that all my life I made slight of Imran. I think why did he talk to his wife like that in his interview with Jemima (Goldsmith). Despite that when he said I am a born again Muslim, and said in speeches that he’s going to change Pakistan, and everything Pakistani, I fell for him.

The book basically is where I am talking to people that here is the reality. It’s not about Imran. I am telling people to think about why you are voting. For example, the perception in Pakistan is that Modi is radical but he was a good CM. I have not lived in India and how do I know this? It is a perception built by the media. I spoke to someone in India and he said, "
Itna toh governance acchha nahin. Aisi baat nahin, Gujarat state hi aisi hai (it’s a developed state)."

I am saying in the book, we don’t know what we’re looking for. Which party we need, we don’t know. We do get brainwashed very easily. It’s not only the Taliban which is indoctrinating the public. It is not the militant which is indoctrinating the public. Actually, indoctrination hota hai through Bollywood. I am a Muslim but I am romantic about Karwa Chauth.
Bachpan se, we have romanticised about the devotion and husband
ke liye jaan dena. It is not a Hindu concept. It’s a South Asia thing. Even professional women follow it. I did it when I was 18 and again at 42.
Sochna chahiye that should you forget your personality? Should you be the reflection of your husband?
Isi tarah, you should think when you are voting. Whoever it is – be it Nawaz Sharif, Modi, Imran or Rahul Gandhi.

Instead of cheering for Bilawal Bhutto or Rahul Gandhi, should I not be saying
paani do? There is no water in Delhi, Lahore and Peshawar. They are talking about corruption but you don’t have jobs and people are dying of hunger. Just now I found out that there is no water in Gurgaon. This is not Waziristan, I am talking about Lahore and Delhi, the heart of the continent.

But we don’t think about all this. We just think, he is a cricketer-politician and an honest man. How do you know he is an honest man? In cricket, there is a record of his performance. There is no record of his performance in politics. His performance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is not much. It is only about 11 percent votes. Why anybody is worried about it. You will be worried about 62 percent vote bank in Punjab.

Even sombody like me, who has been a single parent and who has read like a maniac, goes to Pakistan and does a current affairs programme in a volatile environment. I was the biggest critic of Imran and KP. There is a record of my criticism. I criticised him for boycotting
Geo and nepotism. And then I go and marry the man – makes no sense at all.

Then why did you marry him?

Because when somebody tells you are beautiful, you fall for him. We fall for these things because
jaante hue bhi hum kuch nahin jaante. I wanted to tell the parents. It is not Imran’s problem or Ijaz’s (first husband). The problem is that the society has made us like this. If the mother has not taught you to respect women, what can the men do? My son knows what can happen to him if he raises his hand on his wife. He knows that the wife will leave him. He also understands because he has seen a living example of a strong character. If he had seen the example of an abusive man, he would have done the same. That’s what I am talking about in the book – that we have to be honest to ourselves and the leaders as well.

So do you say Imran Khan is a mistake in your life?

Yes and no. If you don’t make mistakes, you don’t learn. I don’t regret anything. Yes, it was not a pleasant experience. Everybody wants a fairytale. But life is not a fairytale. Yes I made a mistake in misjudging him completely. If I miss a flight today, I look at it as I was meant to be there. I see life like that. I was not meant to be in Pakistan in 2014. I had an accident, had to walk in a wheelchair. That’s why I could not return to England. Because of that accident I met Imran. But because of that Imran mistake, I found my calling in life. And the calling is that I am not meant to be a politician’s wife. I have a platform to talk about domestic violence and my problems.

My issue with Imran is that you want to be the Prime Minister of Pakistan and he can’t even do divorce properly.
Bhai aise koi karta hai? You try to malign your wife. Yes, I have thought that how could I be so stupid to have married Imran. But I have realised that stupidity happens.
Har galti mein and har accident mein ek maqsad hota hai. The
maqsad here is that nobody else could have written this book.

PICTURE COURTESY: FACE BOOK

You spoke of domestic violence. Did you experience it?

You should read the book. I have addressed it in the first half. My childhood is full of domestic violence. I have described it explicitly and graphically. How the police comes and what they say. My worry was not what will happen to me if I leave my husband, my worry was
log kya kahenge. I was worried that my mother will be embarrassed that what people will say. I have written that my mother does not say divorce for six years after the divorce. She says separation. She would tell me not to speak about it before the driver, before the children… People will talk anyway if a son is born or not born in the family. I start with domestic violence. I started with only 300 Pakistani rupees. I did not even have a bank account. Now I am in UK with three children. With honesty, you can live. I have never made any compromises. I did not have to smile at anyone, nor travel in anyone’s car to live a decent life. If you work hard, no one can defeat you. Yes, it is not easy but integrity is important.

About Imran, I have spoken about sexual favours in his party. One woman may compromise and she may reach Parliament. Another maybe more talented, but she may not get the opportunity. It happens in the media too. A talented girl gets hassled, sits back at home and gets married. It’s because she can’t compromise. But the woman who compromises will not be happy either. Because, her mind will remain disturbed. She knows that men will exploit her. Your life will be much worse.

But you did say that Imran is compassionate, caring and magnanimous.

In the book? No. Maybe in an interview. I can never use those words for Imran. Maybe I said that when I was still married.
Wohi to main kehti hoon, pyar andha hota hai. Actually, that is his problem. He can never be compassionate. Imran was a celebrity when he was 21. So much fame, so many girls and so much money at such a young age, he can’t be compassionate. Pakistan is not like India. You have so many celebrities. But in Pakistan, there is only one celebrity. So he can never be normal. He never lived a normal life, never had to go to the bank, to an ATM or power supply office. He does not know the daily chores. He does not know how to bring up children, his wife does it.

I tell you in the book that my first meeting with him was when I go to interview him. And continuously he keeps asking me about my age. I did not want to be rude but I did not like it. I told him about the Delhi rape case. The entire world was talking about it and he did not know about it. It was a global story, people were coming out on streets, seeking death penalty for the offenders. I was interviewing him at that very time. I was told that he will be the next prime minister. While I was talking about it, he was asking about my address in London. I told him that we shall talk about my details after the interview. I did not answer his inquiries and kept on asking about the Delhi rape. And he said what happened. He did not have any idea. I explained the gravity of the crime and global outrage. He replied ‘really’. And he then said it was all because of Bollywood. I was like ‘excuse me’. Then he tells me because in Bollywood films they make girls wear skimpy skirts and because of that, these crimes happen. I was shocked. What a thing to say. I have written this in detail.

You spoke of drugs, sex and adultery in the book?

It is in detail. He uses multiple drugs. It is an old and entrenched habit. He never remembers next morning what he said in the previous night. He even used banned drugs. It is called date rape drug. It is an American drug. It is brought to him in
thailis (bags), like you bring the sandwiches. I have mentioned the names of a lot of drugs, coke and ecstasy included.

Shouldn't he have been arrested?

Ji ji. I have shown evidence of it in the book. It costs a lot of money. It is an expensive habit. That’s a problem with the celebrities.

The latest Bollywood blockbuster is about drug habits of a celebrity.

You know I cried during the bathroom scene of
Sanju. I kept weeping because Imran does not have a father like Sanjay Dutt had. Sunil Dutt was such a caring, loving and doting father. Sanjay Dutt had such a large support system. Imran does not have anyone. I told the same thing to my children. The second thing, is Sanju is honest about it. Imran is not. You cannot cure
Aashiqui 2 kind of problems.

PICTURE COURTESY: FACE BOOK

The book also refers to homosexuality, male genitals and more.

When I spoke to him about it, he did not seem interested. I did not hint about it much. I did hint about that for somebody with pretty dubious sexual habits, it is odd to be homophobic. It’s hypocrisy. When you are like that, what is the point of getting married and having a wife? Also you talk of Islam and your life style is not Islamic. That is the difference between Imran and Sanju. Sanju says I had 308 girlfriends. There has to be some kind of honesty.

Why did he stop you from coming to India?

I got invites from a media house in India for a conclave on women journalists. I had got my visa but Imran Chaudhry (his financier and friend in Dubai) suggested that I should not go. Then Imran sent a message to me through his secretary that I should not visit India. I thought he could have told directly to his wife. He was told to get rid of me early in the marriage. I know that India was noticing me that a simple woman got married in a simple way. I saw the media coverage in India of our marriage. But in Pakistan it would be twisted that I was wearing abaya. I did not like that. I never gave a Saudi look. I always used the typical Pakistani dupatta. Chiffon Dupatta is a Pakistani thing which all our anchors use. It’s not an Islamist outfit. It’s our national outfit.

You spoke of Imran’s illegitimate children in India. Are they in Mumbai?

I don’t know where they are. All he told me was that he had five other children and the eldest one is 34. The mother did not come out because she was married. The second lady did not have children for years. And she told him that she wants to keep the child and he said ‘
haan rakh lo.’ I don’t know who they are and whether he was boasting about it. I don’t even know if it is true also because you can never make out whether he tells the truth. It’s the same about the Bollywood superstar. He told me that she was after him. He said to me that she came after him to London. The actual story was different.

Wasim Akram has reportedly sued you. What happened?

I don’t know if it is true. The story they talk of is not in the book. I don’t also know what is the issue with actor Hamza (he has also sued her). He is not even mentioned in the book. Wasim has been mentioned because he had come to our house twice. He was very well behaved towards his wife (Shaniera). They are a very loving couple. He was very friendly to the staff who say he is very down to earth. When I told this to Imran, he did not like it very much. Wasim loves Imran. Imran was also very happy in Wasim’s company. But when I praised Wasim, he was unhappy. It is a problem. You can’t praise someone in front of Imran.

There are question marks over the timing of the release of the book. Is it timed with the elections in Pakistan?

People may say that it is politically motivated. Our original release date was in September. When these people started maligning it, we advanced the date. The PTI (Imran’s party) was actually wanting that the book is not released at all. They started distorting the book. They are not worried about the sexual details. They are worried about the other flaws. If people want to make Imran the PM, the book is immaterial. Imran did not want the book to come out. Then I started speeding up things. Also if people think that it is politically motivated, why I should I care what people think?

PICTURE COURTESY: FACE BOOK

So will you be willing it to be published in India?

The answer is yes but I am bound by confidentiality clause with my publisher. So I can’t speak about it. I want the publisher to make the announcement. We will do it (the launch) in a proper way in India.

Meher Tarar hinted that you promised dirt on NS in return for the Chief Ministership of KP.

It’s not correct. She is an unemployed person, now she is on PTI rolls. She is trying to be in good books of Imran. I tried to help her too. Also PMLN (Nawaz Sharif’s party) does not have majority in KP. I come from there but the question of they helping me does not arise. It’s not logical. Najam Sethi’s magazine spread stories that I told Nawaz Sharif that I be made the governor of KP. My reply is I never met Nawaz Sharif nor did I ever speak to him. Besides, the Governor has no powers in Pakistan. I respect the Sharifs because they stayed away from me. Maryam Nawaz is married to a family of my region. My family members may have attended her marriage.

It has been said that you honeytrapped Imran.

There is a man called Dr Shahid Masood. He is an anchor in Pakistan. He was very close to Gen Hamid Gul. Gen Gul has said in front of me to Dr Masood what to say on TV. That’s how it works there. Gen Gul even threatened me before my marriage. I told Imran that he is
badtameez aadmi. He was initially good to me, tried to make me like Dr Masood. He would tell me that he would take me to Syria and Sudan. Imran told me to ignore saying he is a lunatic. Dr Masood and another anchor with allegations of sexual exploitation have told on TV that I was a honeytrap. It was after our marriage. I told Imran it is not about their lunacy and he should tell his friends that I am his wife. But Imran kept quiet. They went on for three months. They even told me that I am an agent of MI 16. After my divorce I said if I am an MI 16 agent, it is an insult to the ISI. Why don’t they take action against me, I live in Pakistan only. Why don’t they prosecute me? Should the ISI not be knowing who is an agent and who’s not? If you don’t know, then you are incompetent. If you are lying about a patriotic person, that means you are doing something wrong. The world knows about Gen Hamid Gul. It is still happening.

Your book is slammed as pornography by the Pakistan media.

The media is bought by PTI. My book is No 1 in India, Canada. It is good even in Japan. In Pakistan, it has been blacked out. One channel did a safe interview with me and PTI stopped the advertisements for that channel next day. We’re doing promotion through social media because no one is giving us coverage. Why? Because as Bilawal Bhutto said yesterday Imran is PM-select. The entire coverage has been reserved for Imran.

Finally, Imran might become the PM eventually. You have anything to say?

I think the Punjab vote will go to PMLN. I was in PTI and attended their Dharnas and I have never seen so many people for them as many as for the PMLN. There is total support for Nawaz Sharif. I loved Priyanka (Gandhi), I admire her. Just like that, I saw Maryam smiling while being arrested. We’re the only Nuclear Muslim country with nuclear warhead. And I have talked of an incident in which he says something in the night and next morning he denies it. He might press the button in the night and on the next morning he would say I didn’t order this. We want a responsible person, we can’t afford such a person. The best politicians coming out of Pakistan are Bilawal and Maryam (Sharif).